Mr. Fintan Murphy:

I would share the views of Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Tyndall in respect of the positives of the electoral commission and how it might commence its work in that there are clearly identifiable modules that are currently carrying out work under the auspices of the Standards in Public Office Commission or the Department. Those regulatory functions would constitute a far easier transfer than some of the other matters.

In terms of what returning officers meet daily in election events vis-à-visthe electoral register, like many issues, it is not simple and the solution is not simple either. However, there is a willingness all round, in the new environment in which we find ourselves with social media and other methods of communication, to improve the accuracy of the electoral register. At the previous referendum, through the efforts of the Referendum Commission and many other agencies, there was a big turnout, not least because of the question that was asked. The electoral register can be improved immeasurably and we do not have to wait for the finality of an electoral commission to do that.

I have been working closely with local authorities over the past 19 years on 31 different registers, but the authorities are extremely willing and able to embrace new technology to try to improve the effectiveness of voter registration. There are positives and negatives in this. One of the negatives, as pointed out by Deputy Stanley, is the reduced intelligence on the ground compared with days gone by. In our main statement we have suggested that whatever about potential difficulties in utilising PPS numbers, we should definitely consider that option. The register would certainly benefit from being able to utilise PPS numbers in some way. However, there are data protection and other issues involved and I would not be qualified to decide how they would be dealt with definitively. That said, I believe those issues should be dealt with and it is my understanding that legislation will be required.

Voter registration is a big issue. Regulatory transfer of functions is much easier to attend to than the greater matters of transfer to an electoral commission. I agree with Mr. Tyndall that the methodology should be both phased and deadlined. It is up to the body here and perhaps the commission itself how that would take place. On appointments, my view echoes that of other speakers, namely, that any appointments to an electoral commission will have greater legitimacy if they are completely independent. For that, we would welcome some form of independent oversight by the Houses of the Oireachtas rather than the Government. Again, that is an issue that must be decided down the road.